No end in sight for boundary dispute
Comment
by Chris Simon

It seems like Barrie and Innisfil may never see eye to eye on the valuable land that straddles their borders.

Eighteen months after formal land negotiations between the City of Barrie and the Town of Innisfil began, talks appear to have broken off for good. Last week, provincial facilitator Allan Wells presented both sides with a proposed settlement, which Innisfil officials walked away from two days later. Both sides had two completely different objectives throughout the talks, and now each side blames the other for letting the deal fall through.

According to the town, the deal was unfairly balanced in Barrie's favour. And that may have been true, since Barrie officials have suggested support for Wells' compromise.

Had Innisfil accepted the deal, it would have apparently impeded the expansion of the Highway 400 corridor, while also failing to provide adequate land and service levels. Barrie, by contrast, would have received significant land, which it needs for residential and employment development.

The town's main concern heading into the negotiations was support for developing the Innisfil Heights industrial area, while also attempting to keep as much land along its northern boundary as possible. There are obvious reasons for this. Quite simply, the more industry and land in Innisfil, the more taxes can be generated.

But a long term fight is probably balanced in Barrie's favour. Over the next 25 years, Simcoe County's population is expected to grow from about 438,700 to 667,400, according to a report released by the Hemson Consulting company last year.

Of that, Barrie's population will climb from 133,500 residents to 175,000, while Innisfil's will also jump by several thousand.

However, Barrie is expected to run out of developable lands within the next decade. Coupled with the province's Places to Grow document, which named Barrie as the preferred place for future urban development in Southern Simcoe County, Innisfil is being backed into a corner. Expansion into Innisfil appears to be favoured by the province, and Barrie officials seem to know it. It's hard for Innisfil officials to negotiate a fair deal under those terms.

Innisfil now says it will await the finalization of the county's growth plan process, which will determine how the anticipated population spike will be handled, before deciding on another course of action. That process is expected to be complete by June. However, provincial legislation overrules county bylaws, meaning the Ontario government has the final OK on growth in this region.

All levels of government are failing to look at the long-term impact that this uncompromising stubbornness will have on their residents. Resolving a land and servicing dispute shouldn't be about winning, but rather about ensuring the best interest of all residents in the region. Decisions should focus on providing the best services possible for residents of both municipalities, in the most cost-effective way.

Barrie obviously needs more land to grow, and it has the well-developed and relatively cheap infrastructure to meet demands, should it acquire more land from Innisfil.

But Innisfil's economic viability cannot be discounted either. The expansion of the Highway 400 corridor will bring thousands of jobs to the region, many of which will inevitably be consumed by Barrie residents. It's in their best interest to ensure Innisfil gets a fair deal.

If Barrie shows support for 400 development by meeting Innisfil's service level requirements, it might just pressure the province into accepting the Innisfil Heights proposal quickly.

Regardless of which municipality ultimately wins this battle, it's bound to cost plenty more time and money. It could be years before a longterm agreement is finalized. Too bad residents of both municipalities will be left in uncertainty, waiting for answers in the meantime.